yirgacheffe

We love Ethiopian coffees. About this time each year, we gather around our cupping table to taste and evaluate—and it seems like there’s always at least one impressive coffee from this East African country. With unique flavors paired with the intriguing stories from coffee’s birthplace, we return to these same coffees time after time.

Throughout the years, we’ve carried some of the best coffees that Ethiopia has to offer. Specifically, we’ve carried beans from the Worka Cooperative and the Suke Quto farm for several years. These two are a hard pair to measure up to, but we’ve found a noble contender: The Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Dama cooperative double-washed.

This coffee comes from the Yirgacheffe Region, which is one of the three primary coffee growing regions in Ethiopia. It’s known for producing dense coffees with distinctive floral aromas and deep chocolate and cocoa tones in the flavor profile. Jammy and floral, this coffee also has clean notes of peach, pear and jasmine which contrast against a cocoa laced body. In this case the washing (or wet-processing) was carried out in two 12-24 fermentation stages (this is when the fruit covered parchment is soaked after the skin is pulped) with a fresh spring water wash in between: double washed. The result is great flavor with impeccable clarity.

The flavor profile is important when choosing coffee, but the story behind the beans is equally considered. Grown at an altitude of between 1750 and 2300 meters (5700- 7500 ft.), these beans are sourced from family-owned member farms of the Dama Cooperative, which is composed of close to 2000 members.

The YCFCU was created to ensure fair pay for beans and to maximize financial returns to coffee farmers, and it has since grown to represent 300,000 families from 23 different cooperatives. In conjunction with monitoring the fair trade of coffee beans, YCFCU also monitors the quality of coffee. To put it simply, our newest Dama coffee is regulated to be ethical, sustainable and—true to Tiny Footprint standards—certified organic.

We’re thrilled to be offering a coffee that so aptly reflects our commitments to these communities and the environment. Here at Tiny Footprint we strive to provide the best coffees through the best practices–and the Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Dama cooperative double-washed is a great example. It’s the perfect cup of coffee to sip as we roll into fall. Keep an eye out for this coffee coming soon!